Printing ink and method of producing



' 106. COMPOSlTlONS,

COATING R PLASTIC Patented Oct. 31, 1944 84 uu TEo STATES CROSS REFERENCE PRODUCING I Edward Sheridan,

tel-chemical Corporation, corporation of Ohio Bronx, N. Y., asslgnor to In- New York, N. Y., a

No Drawing. Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 383,796

7 Claims.

This invention relates to pigmented compositions such as typographic printing inks, comprising alkali metal silicate solutions and pigments which form gel structures with them, and has particular. reference to the production of usable compositions from gels of igment and alkali silicate solutions. "i

a 1 51 ca es have been suggested as vehicles for various sorts of printing inks, but have never been used extensively for a variety of reasons.

One important objection has been the inability of the formulator to use the common cheap pigments available for use because of the fact that the pigments form gels or precipitates when dispersed in the alkali silicate vehicles. This phenomenon is observable with the chrome yellows and greens, iron blues, alkali blue, ma nesi'um carbonate, alumina Hydrate, organic lakes made from am an as 0 systems, and other pigments. Since the silicatesare particularly useful only in specialty printing, where bright, cheap, attractive colors are essential, the necessity for using high priced colors has practically eliminated silicates as ink vehicles from most fields, limiting them to the relatively few situations where the high pigment cost is not an insuperable objection to their use.

' I have discovered that pigments which gel l lhn iliqeiasQl lti m may W 1156? inks and the like by gelling a mixture of the ment, a silicate solution aridgl'ycerinjand re halti untreate s1 icatef" .The resultant product appears to be a dispersion of the gel in the new medium. These dispersions gel with untreated silicate solutions, in similar fashion to the untreated pigments; but the redispersed gels are .miscible with one another in all proportions, and can be reduced as desired with other miscible media.

My invention is particularly useful with inks containing high percentages ofglycerin, such as re disclosed in the co-pending application of 3 Albert E. Gessler, Serial Number 305,452, filed 3 November 21, 1939, which contain more than 8 50% olyhydric alcohol. However, the invention is extremely useiii'l for other types of inks, since the amount of glycerin needed to produce a dispersible gel is rather small, only about being necessary in any given composition.

I prefer to use alkali silicates of minimum alontent, since afiect the shade of many pigments than the more alkaline silicates. For the same reason, I prefer to add buffering agentsto reduce the pH; such agents no u e oric acid, citric acid and similar weak acids.

fiecause the gelling action of many of the pigments on silicate solutions is rather slow, I find it desirable at timesto i n creasethegelation rate by with customary vehicles,

e gel in a me ium substantially free of 658 S M33. 88 are 685 an O he t by the use of aci (which is preferably an acid usable for its u ering action), by increasing i ment concentration, or by adding a colorless rapidly gelling inefi'such as alumina hy- 5 drate. Where a mixture of elling pigment with nongellin i ment is required to attain a particular color, 'ii e two may be mixed and gelled together; or the non-gelling pigmentmay b' mixedwith alumina hydrate and made into a gelled and redispersed in which is miscible with the system.

Typical examples of my invention are the following EXAMPLE 1 Intaglio ink Parts by weight on blue 10 Sodium silicate solution' (3.9 SiOz-Naz031%.

solids) 80 Glycerin 10 are mixed thoroughly in a dough mixer; in hour or less sslis priaest sai then dispersed in 10% or more of its weight of water in a pebble mill; the resultant short, buttery ink 7 may be printed by the intaglio process. v Err/gnu: 2

Typographic varnish Sodium silicate solution of Example 1 T grams 64.5

The resultant varnish has the following composition:

40 Sodium silicate 20.0 Glycerin (95%) (4.0 Water I 6.0

EXAMPLE 3 Iron blue typographic ink I Parts by weight Iron blue 4 35 ivarnish of Example 2 35.

are mixed in a dough mixer; in /2 hour or less a g el is formed. This is allowed to mix for two hours," and then there is added to the dough mixer:

Borlc acid l 5 Glycerin I 23 Santomerse D (alkyl-aryl sulfonate) 2 tional three-roll mill.

The mass is mixed, and passed over a conven-" Examiner IUD.

1 Varnish of Example 2 COATING GR PLASTlC useful in reducing the dispersion time, andthe boric acid-acts to buffer the action of the alkali on the normally sens: e iron blue'.

EXAMPLE 4 Chrome yellow Parts by weight Primrose chrome yellow 55 Varnish of Example 2 are gelled in a dough mixer, and finished as in Example 3, after adding- Glycerin 20' EXAMPLE 5 Lithol red 7 Parts by we ht Calcium lithol tonerselfishness-6e- Thus Parts by weight Sodium silicate solution of Example 1 32.25- glycerin i---s u; ui-i.s.: zt-u u-' Iron blue pulp, containing pigments.. 100.00 are placed in a steam-jacketed, vacuumequipped dough mixer, and allowedto mix for. thirty minutes, toform a gel. There were then added Water was then distilled from the mass by vacuum, until 86 parts by weight were removed. The finished ink was removed from the mix; it was similar to that of Example 3.

EXAMPLE '7 chrome yellow fromsilicate "'dldss Parts by'weiglit Chrome yellow. 54.0 Silicate powder (-2SiOz-1Na02--10-15% water) 3 Water 2.0 Glycerin 40.2-

The silicate powder and water, and froin'Ei-to 10% of the glycerin are mixed in a dough mixer until solution takes place. At' this point the pigment and a portion of the glycerhr are added proportionately; keeping the mass stiff. After these ingredients are added, gelation of themass' takes place. After mixing about 15- minutes; redispersion takes place, and the remainder of the materials are added.

Exempt: 8

' Iron blue Parts -by' weight Iron blue- I 2510 Silicate powder of Example 7. 910' Water 3.7 Boric a 4.2 Santomerse D L6 Glycerin 1 56.5

UKUSS Ktl'tKLNUIZ The silicate powder and water and about 20 parts of glycerin are mixed ma dough mixer until solution takes place (15 minutes). At this point the pigment and part of the remaining glycerin are added proportionately, keeping the mass stiff. After these ingredients are added, gelation takes place. After mixing about 15 minutes, redispersion takes place, and the remainder of the materials are added.

Anhydrous powders (still containing 2 to 3% water) may be utilized in the same manner as the powder of Example 7, which is spray-dried.

The examples can of course be multiplied indefinitely without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims.

The silicate used for the purpose may be any soluble alkai silicate"; best results are ob ne wi so u e si icates having ratios of silica to alkali oxide of from about 3.2 to 1.5111 the least alkaline of the coirunercm'a'ila'ble' silicate (ratio 3.9 to 1.0) b'e'ing'mo'st satisfactory. Soluble silicates of higher ratios may be used, but cannot be obtained readily. Potassium silicates are also useful, although more expensive. Si cat'es of ratios below 3.2 to 1.0 tend to dry more slowly, and their extreme alkalinity causes d-ifliculties alkali-sensitive pigments.

By buffering with a weak acid; however, as in Example 8, eventhe more alkaline silicates canbe used with alkali-sensitive pigments. Thesebuifering agents are useful to prevent unlaking of lake pigments, and to prevent the formation A of sodium litholsfrom the calcium and bariumsalts. They also help in accelerating the gela- 'tion of pigments which otherwise" cannot be gelled.

Glycerin appears to be unique in its effect, in producing a; dispersible gel with silicates and gelling pigments: Other miscible solvents (glycols, alcohol ethers such as the cellosolv'e's and carbitolsf' 953mm of course Be'added to the compositions, provided they do not advers'ely affect the properties or the ink.

Any pigments ma be used in thepra'ct'ice of my invention, in the absence of a chemical effect on the pigment by the silicate solution. Non-gelling pigments must of course be combined with ingredients which cause gelation ofthe vehicle.

While the disclosed compositions are particu-' larly useful as printing inks, my method of utilizing pigments which gel with silicates may obviously be appliedto other pigmented silicate compositions, such-as paints and the like;

I claim: I

1. A compositio'ncomprising-"agel dfpigment;

' glycerin 35 A compositioncomprising a= gel O'f pigment, glycerin and water-soluble sodiunisilicate having a silica sodiuni o'iiide" r'atid of at" was about 3L2 tol';0- uniformly dispersed through a water-miscible v'el'iicle substantially free of" examiner vehicle substantially free of silicate which has not been gelled, the composition containing at least about 50% glycerin.

5. The method of making a composition which comprises gelling a mixture of pigment, alkali silicate solution and at least about 5% glycerin, and dispersing the gel in a water miscible vehicle free of silicate which has not been gelled.

6. Themethod of making a printing ink comprising gelling a mixture of pigment, aqueous alkali silicate solution in the presence of at least about 5% glycerin, adding glycerin, and removing water from the mixture while dispersing the gel to produce a dispersion of the gel in glycerin containing at least about 50% glycerin 7. The method of making a printing ink comprising gelling a. mixture of pigment and aqueous alkali silicate solution in the presence of at least about 5% glycerin, adding a water-miscible vehicle free of ungelled silicate, and dispersing the gel.

EDWARD SHERIDAN. 

